"The Land of Smiles"

"Sawatdee Ka!"

About two years, following Semester at Sea, I remember trying to
decide what was "next." I had vowed to take one big trip a year to a
new place, somewhere I had never been. Thailand was #1 on my list.
I loved the places I had visited in Southeast Asia, and was anxious
to get back and continue exploring. I had even written to one of
the schools in Thailand, asking about teaching opportunities. So as
you can imagine, I was very excited when I found out Thailand was on
the itinerary for the second voyage.

The ship docked right outside of Bangkok. Actually it was more like
1-2 hours outside of Bangkok, depending on traffic (brought
flashbacks of the 405 during rush hour). We were greeted by Laura,
Kloy, and Marilyn, three of our students form the first voyage. Kloy
is from Bangkok, and Laura and Marylin had been traveling since
December. It was great to see them again, and I think really good
for them to be back "home." I really resonated with the feelings
they expressed about being back on the ship and the "homesickness"
they were experiencing. I remember the first time I went back on the
MV Explorer for our first Semester at Sea reunion, I was surprised at
how emotional it was, and I felt grateful for having the opportunity
to "relive" what I missed most about being onboard.

After the ship was cleared, a group of us went with Kloy and Laura
into Bangkok for a short jaunt around the city and a nice Thai
lunch. Before heading back to the ship that afternoon, we stopped at
the mall to check out the Mac store--Amy had to get her computer
fixed, and I was in the market for a hard drive (Henri, my fear of
"losing data" was creeping in.). Amy didn't end up getting her
computer fixed, and I didn't end up buying a hard drive (a little too
pricey), but we did end up seeing something fun outside one of the
stores. There was a tall advertisement stand for The Scholar Ship!
Isn't that such a fun coincidence? We took pictures beside it, of
course, which I imagine seemed a little strange to passerby's.

I had to end the evening a little early to head by to the ship for
duty. But before I hopped on the bus, Christy and I bought our first
of many fresh coconuts to sip on the way home!

Days 2-6:

Neither Amanda nor I had an AFP, so we decided to take a trip
together; somewhat of a parallel to our second port on the first
voyage. We went to the airport, walked up to the reservation booth,
and said "We'd like to go to an island...Somewhere called "Ko Pha-
ngan", which was a placed recommended by Cherine but of which neither
of us had heard. So we booked flights for late that afternoon and
headed back to the city for a late lunch before it was time to
board. Back in the city, we had another fresh coconut, some sushi,
and took a little tour around the shopping area. After lunch, we
ended up finding a little t-shirt stand that does monograms, so we
looked into getting shirts made for our little T.S.S. group with Ron
and Ashley. But it ended up being too expensive, so decided who
needs professional monograms when you can just use a marker?

Cultural moment: Buddhism is the dominant religion in Thailand and is
clearly reflected in the culture, on a variety of levels. Right next
to a McDonalds, there was a statue of Ronald McDonald, with his hands
in prayer position, signaling a traditional Thai gesture called
"wai." This gesture is how the Thais greet one another, and the
position of your hands reflects the type of person you are greeting--
whether it be an elderly person, a monk, etc. And of course, it was
never given without a gracious smile. Truly a beautiful symbol of
the Thai culture and its people.

Back to the airport--and our adventure continues. We arrived in
Surat Thani, where we were to take a bus and then ferry to Ko Pha-
ngan. Upon exiting the airport, we met this travel-tour-guide-of-a-
person, who gave us the options of leaving the next morning by bus
then ferry....OR leave tonight on the overnight ferry. He was
clearly a strong supporter of the latter option, so we decided to
trust him (Mom, I know you always brace yourself for these
stories.). So we took a short bus to were dropped off at travel
agency near the harbor and were told to return by 9:00 pm in order to
leave for the 11:00 ferry. This was a little confusing for me given
the two hour time gap, but whatever. When in Rome, right? It was
around dinner time, so Amanda and I took a little walk and found a
local restaurant near the water. Side note--We noticed a fair number
of out transgendered folks, which was very cool. I had heard that
the healthcare system (Manoosh, did your ears perk up?) is very good
and that people come from all over the world for medical care and
surgical procedures.

Okay, back to dinner...The place was quaint and friendly, and the
food was "interesting." I ordered a seafood dish, which seemed to
have a lot of items in it. I know "items" is a weird word to use
here, but I think it most clearly reflects my meal. After dinner, we
headed back to the travel agency, where we were picked up in a taxi
truck and (Are you ready for this?) were dropped by ONE BLOCK away at
the ferry boat, where we were told to return in two hours for the
11:00 pm departure. Isn't that hilarious? What was more hilarious,
though, is that this "ferry boat" was actually a CARGO boat!
Literally. Stocks of produce, birds, and...a PIG! Of course there
were sleeping arrangements, which consisted of rows of mats and
pillows. Mom, I know you would been a little squirmy at the
cleanliness factor. It was definitely no Holiday Inn. But Amanda
and I wouldn't have traded it for the world. I mean, how often do
you have the opportunity to sail with produce and a pig?

After moments of amusement, we got our second coconut of the day and
walked a few blocks (past the travel agency street) to an Internet
cafe, where we caught up on some email, etc. Upon boarding the cargo
boat, we could see a variety pack of travelers, from those who were
clearly first-time cargo boat sailors, to the regular customers.
Amanda and I found our "assigned bed mats" (which were numbered) and
proceeded to make ourselves at home, inches away of course from the
South African couple next to us. Laughing to ourselves (and aloud)
the whole time. To add to the amusement, our engine choked at one
point, during which the "Captain" was pacing around the boat on his
cell phone, shouting ten octaves louder than the average, and smoking
a cigarette, for all of us to enjoy.

The engine finally kicked in, and we did end up sailing to the
island, waking up to sun rise as we pulled into port. Am I addicted
to boats? I seem to go from one to another. Anyway, since it was
just before 7:00 am when we arrived, the island was still waking up,
so we enjoyed a fresh granola breakfast and caught a taxi to this
little place called "The Yoga Retreat." We didn't have reservations,
so we were just going on a whim, hoping for accommodations. However,
the little place (and I mean little) was booked. We were greeted by
the owner and his little boy, who were from England (Kess and Jess--
Yes, they rhyme. And guess what his partner's nickname is? Tess!).
So Kess, was really nice, and drove us up the road to another place
called "My Way", where we found a basic little bungalow, close to the
water, for $10 per night. It was even within walking distance from
The Yoga Retreat, but Kess said they do free pick-ups" for class. We
went to our first class that afternoon, which was wonderful. And
because it was Wednesday, we followed class with an herbal steam
experience, where we met a funny (funny as in "bless his heart") man
from England/India who seemed to be OD'ing on Tiger Balm, but very
nice. He actually end up giving us a ride back to My Way on his
little moped.

The rest of our stay on Ko Phan-gnan was blissful relaxation--Morning
yoga classes--with the view and sounds of the jungle, $10 Thai
massages on the beach, fresh young coconut, delicious (and spicy!)
Thai cuisine, a hike down a waterfall in the rain (with directions
that followed, "Walk down into the jungle and past the elder woman's
house..."), a trek around the island through neighboring beaches,
falling asleep in the restaurant hammocks to the sounds of the rain--
gently awakened by the restaurant staff (who might have thought we
were a little nuts), snorkling and spotting eel...and ending our last
evening at a beach-side restaurant with signs that read "Thank you
very big." (Meagan T., I thought of you--It was almost like "Thanks
big time!"). All of these wondrous blessings for the mere price of...
30, 547 mosquito bites. But worth every bite (given that I don't get
Malaria in 2 months).

I really enjoyed our time together--As I said back in Panama, I think
Amanda and I make great travel partners. I realized at one point,
that spending time with her reminds me of being with my sister. It's
the spontaneity, the openness, the depth of conversation, and the
comfortable silences which provide a unique space for reflection and
connection. At one point--I think it was when we were sitting on the
rocks above the waterfall in the pouring rain--Amanda turned to me
and said, "It's nice to just embrace the rain, when we are so often
trying to run away from it." We then continued to sit in silence for
what was probably an hour, listening to the rhythm of the rain and
feeling it's warm gentle drops against our skin. It was one of the
moments.

Our return back to Bangkok was almost as adventurous as our trip
there: There was a cancelled ferry boat, a series of transportation
methods from ferry to bus to shuttle to plane (which ended up being
quite delayed)...and an opportunity to meet and some fellow travelers
from all over the world, from Australia, Germany, Denmark, and Hungary.

By the time we finally arrived in Bangkok, it was close to 9:00 pm.
We decided to take a bus to Khaosarn Road, Bangkok's "bohemian
heart", bustling with market stalls, eateries, bight lights, and a
mix of foreign backpackers. Amanda and I found a hotel, which was
clean and friendly and with an actual shower and toilet that flushes
(as compared to the basics of little bungalow at My Way--which of
course was charming for just those very same reasons). Side note to
my friends Briana and Karen..I just realized..."BUNGALOW!" The scene
on Khaosarn Road was quite the contrast to our sleepy little island
of Ko Pha-ngan (But really it was only sleepy during the time we were
there--Ko Pha-ngan is actually the spot of the "Full Moon Party", a
world renown island party that attracts thousands of people from all
over the world.). So we finished the night off with a young coconut
and headed back to our hotel (called Villa Cha Cha--Doesn't the name
just make you want to dance?) for a wonderful night's sleep.

Day 7;
The next morning, we headed out to the markets and went on a city-
wide hunt for gag gift underwear (which Amanda and I decided would be
more fun than the monogramed t-shirts). This little hunt in and of
itself was an adventure, not to mention fully supported by the many
Thais, who helped us along the way. Eventually, as we raced against
the clock (in order to make it back for the 1:30 pm shuttle), we
found our pot of gold, which actually wasn't really gold, but rather
neon green with a bright orange waist band.

"Sawatdee Ka, Thailand!"...You are truly the "land of smiles."

"Kop koon Ka!"